SinoTech
Trump Revokes Hong Kong’s Special Status; China Pushes to Win Global Tech Race
Richard Altieri, Benjamin Della Rocca Thu, Jun 4, 2020, 12:38 PM
Lawfare's biweekly roundup of U.S.-China technology policy news.
Hong Kong
Livestream: Senate Banking Committee Holds Hearing on Hong Kong Crisis
Elliot Setzer Thu, Jun 4, 2020, 11:35 AM
On Thursday, June 4, at 11:00 a.m., the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee will hold a hearing titled, “Crisis in Hong Kong: A Review of U.S. Policy Tools.” The committee will hear testimony from Eric Lorber, the senior director of the Center on Economic and Financial Power at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, and Peter Harrell, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.
You can watch a livestream of the hearing here.
Events
Lawfare Live: Careers in National Security
Mikhaila Fogel Thu, Jun 4, 2020, 10:41 AM
Join us on Tuesday, June 9, at 11:00am ET for a 90-minute career panel webinar and Q&A with Lawfare’s senior team.
The Russia Connection
On Rod Rosenstein’s Peculiar Testimony
Benjamin Wittes Thu, Jun 4, 2020, 10:37 AM
The Senate Judiciary Committee sees exactly what the country is yearning for right now: another investigation of the origins of the Russia investigation.
Sanctions
How to Fix America’s Failing Sanctions Policy
Edward Fishman Thu, Jun 4, 2020, 9:21 AM
The United States needs a theory of sanctions, based on honest reflection and study of how economic pressure can and can’t induce the types of behavioral changes that policymakers aim for.
Podcasts
The Lawfare Podcast: Ryan Merkley on Why Wikipedia Works
Jen Patja Howell Thu, Jun 4, 2020, 5:01 AM
In this episode of Lawfare's Arbiters of Truth series on disinformation, Evelyn Douek and Quinta Jurecic spoke with Ryan Merkley, the chief of staff to the executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation. We’ve spent a lot of time on this podcast discussing how social media platforms have handled issues of disinformation and misinformation. But what about Wikipedia? It’s a massive online encyclopedia written and edited entirely by volunteers—so, not a platform, but still an online service grappling with a wave of untruths in an uncertain time.
Podcasts
Rational Security: The 'America is Hurting' Edition
Jen Patja Howell Wed, Jun 3, 2020, 8:11 PM
Americans have taken to the streets in dozens of cities to protest the death of George Floyd, police brutality, and systemic racism. President Trump has focused his attention on looting and violence, which he calls “domestic terror” and insisted governors “dominate” the protestors. The gang talks about the role of the military and the Insurrection Act, the role of Bill Barr and the Justice Department, and Trump’s use of other federal forces as America heads into another day of public demonstration amidst a still raging pandemic.
Today's Headlines and Commentary
Today’s Headlines and Commentary
Chas Kissick Wed, Jun 3, 2020, 3:43 PM
Lawfare’s daily roundup of national security news and opinion.
Federal Law Enforcement
Department of Homeland Security Law Enforcement Agencies Require Expanded Oversight
Carrie Cordero Wed, Jun 3, 2020, 1:45 PM
The potential for expanded interior Homeland Security law enforcement activity raises questions about whether components of the department being called upon are subject to appropriate training, preparation and accountability.
The Russia Connection
Senate Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing on Crossfire Hurricane Investigation
Elliot Setzer Wed, Jun 3, 2020, 10:10 AM
On Wednesday, June 3, at 10:00 a.m., the Senate Judiciary Committee held the first in a series of hearings on oversight of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation. The committee heard testimony from Rod Rosenstein, the former deputy attorney general.
You can watch a livestream of the hearing here.
protests
Can Trump Use the Insurrection Act to Deploy Troops to American Streets?
Scott R. Anderson, Michel Paradis Wed, Jun 3, 2020, 8:47 AM
If President Trump wants to follow through on his threats to deploy the military around the country, he may have to push one of America’s oldest emergency laws to its limits.
International Law
The U.S. Will Exit The Open Skies Treaty and It’s Unclear Why
Justin Key Canfil Wed, Jun 3, 2020, 8:40 AM
The treaty is one of the keystones of nuclear trust and confidence-building, and there is no clear explanation for why the Trump administration believes withdrawal serves U.S. interests.
Podcasts
The Lawfare Podcast: Rashawn Ray on Police Violence
Jen Patja Howell Wed, Jun 3, 2020, 5:00 AM
Dr. Rashawn Ray is a David M. Rubenstein fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution. He's also an associate professor of sociology at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he directs the Lab for Applied Social Science Research (LASSR). He is a scholar of, among other things, police-civilian relations and has done a lot of work on police-involved killings. He joined Benjamin Wittes to discuss the mechanisms of police violence, what causes it, what can be done to address it and reduce it, and the role of race in this problem.
Section 230
Center for Democracy and Technology Challenges Section 230 Executive Order
Elliot Setzer Tue, Jun 2, 2020, 4:53 PM
On June 2, the Center for Democracy & Technology filed a lawsuit alleging that President Trump’s “Executive Order on Preventing Online Censorship” violates the First Amendment.
Congress
Can Congress Work Together to Calm the Country?
Susan Hennessey, Margaret Taylor Tue, Jun 2, 2020, 4:21 PM
The numerous layers of this crisis to which Congress must respond grow daily, and some have more barriers to bipartisanship than others.
Today's Headlines and Commentary
Today’s Headlines and Commentary
Chas Kissick Tue, Jun 2, 2020, 3:27 PM
Lawfare’s daily roundup of national security news and opinion.
Book Reviews
The Ayabmuk World
Paul Rosenzweig Tue, Jun 2, 2020, 3:20 PM
A Review of “Burn-In: A Novel of the Real Robotic Future” by P.W. Singer & August Cole (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2020).
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity Lessons From the Pandemic, or Pandemic Lessons From Cybersecurity
Herb Lin Tue, Jun 2, 2020, 12:36 PM
The Cyber Solarium Commission’s new white paper explores what the coronavirus can teach us about how to prepare for a major cyber attack. But it also highlights cybersecurity principles that would have been and are relevant to responding to the current pandemic.
Podcasts
The National Security Law Podcast: On the Brink with the Insurrection Act
Robert Chesney, Steve Vladeck Tue, Jun 2, 2020, 11:40 AM
We bring you a special episode, recorded jointly with Ben Wittes as an episode of the Lawfare Podcast. Ben, Bobby and Steve explore the threatened invocation of the Insurrection Act by President Trump, the president’s existing use of the D.C. National Guard, the president’s assertion that he will designate Antifa as a “domestic terrorist organization” and the use of tear gas and rubber bullets to clear protesters out of Lafayette Square Park in order to facilitate a presidential photo op.
The Russia Connection
Justice Department Submits Brief to Appeals Court in Flynn Case
Elliot Setzer Tue, Jun 2, 2020, 11:19 AM
The Justice Department on Monday, June 1 filed a brief urging the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to force district court judge Emmet Sullivan to dismiss the prosecution of former national security adviser Michael Flynn. That move came after the Justice Department moved to drop a charge against Flynn, who previously pled guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia’s ambassador, and Sullivan declined to immediately abandon the case.